While working at Fort Lee, Linda C. Jones saw a need to make services more accessible to veterans in the Tri-Cities.
"There are about 50,000 veterans in the region," said Jones, a veteran herself.
Many of them, she said, feel left out of resources and often find themselves frustrated with the bureaucracy while trying to seek benefits.
She hopes the Association for Wounded Veterans Changing Lifestyle Inc., which will open in Petersburg next month, will make things easier for the local veterans.
The group's goal is to help reduce the stresses and barriers that veterans encounter during the process of accessing services, programs and benefits, said Jones, founder of the organization.
The association's office at 2793L S. Crater Road is under construction and is expected to open in mid-January. It will be an information and resource center where veterans will get guidance on federal, state and local programs. Computers will be available for veterans to use and volunteers will be there to help.
The organization will help identify veterans' needs and refer them to programs and agencies, Jones said. It will offer assistance with claims and employment and computer training.
The group eventually plans to provide transportation to homeless and disabled veterans to their hospital appointments.
Jones' experience working with disabled veterans motivated her to launch the project, she said. She worked as a disabled veteran outreach program specialist at the Virginia Employment Commission at Fort Lee where she helped veterans overcome barriers in finding jobs and benefits. She retired from the VEC last year after 15 years.
The association will be one of few in the region. So far, it has been sustained by contributions from its five board members -- all wounded veterans--and donations from the community.
Donations from individuals and businesses have been scarce in a struggling economy, Jones said.
"Right now, we depend a lot on volunteers," she said. "We are going to start slow and build up."
Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or llazo@timesdispatch.com.
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